How to change a Snes game-save battery!

Every Snes game owner will run into this at some point, especially since the dates on many game batteries expire around this year, or in the case of games like Mario World, have already expired. That doesn't mean they are 100% dead, but chances are, they are almost dead.

Found these instructions in another thread, originally posted by Cornfedwb (who got them somewhere on google) and figured we should have a fresh post for this topic. I cleaned it up a bit and added a note or two.

If you are the original author, PM me so I can give you credit! (or delete this, if it's a problem.) I have edited and bastardized this heavily, based on my own experience.

Most importantly:----- IF YOU HAVE A BETTER, EASIER WAY TO DO THIS, PLEASE POST IT SO I CAN FIX THIS FAQ! ----Any help will be much appreciated.

DISCLAIMERS(for reals yo): YOU WILL LOSE YOUR SAVES WHILE DOING THIS, NO MATTER WHAT! I take no responsibility for your messed up games-- this is a risky procedure -- you should practice on something cheap and easy to find(like Super Mario World which is at just about every pawnshop) before you go and up that pristine copy of Chrono Trigger ;-) This procedure is risky like a cheap ass hooker.

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What you need and where to get it:

1. 3.88 mm security bit. You need this to unscrew the funkyhexagon-shaped bolts on SNES carts. Here's a good deal on those, courtesy of kdunn77: http://mcm.newark.co...SKU=22-1145&N=0 for $3.68.

2. Watch battery size CR2032 You can probably get this anywherethat fixes watches; I got mine at Radio Shack, paid $3. (ed-they are out of stock online, but are at most stores.)

3. A basic soldering iron, nothing fancy. I bought a kit at radioshack for $8, came with a 45-watt iron.

4. An X-Acto knife, or some kind of scraping razor. It justneeds to be a VERY thin knife, one you don't mind getting stained up. A kit with a variety of blades can also be found at Radioshack, for around $4.

5. Some Electrical tape. (courtesy of Beerguy961) also at Radioshack.

SNES Procedure Walkthrough

--Clean your hands thoroughly first.

1. With your SNES cart lying face-side up on a table, you'll see the twohexagon bolts on the bottom two corners. Use your 3.88 mm security bit toremove these bolts.

2. Lift the cart's front cover by pulling up, toward you. You'll see thebackside of the game's board. Lift the board out. Try not to touch anythingbut the edges any more than you have to.

3. On the other side of the board, you'll see the battery on the top left corner, a silver circle about the size of a nickel. The battery is soldered onto connectors above and below, at two points on each connector. The next step is to break these solder points (carefully!) (Edit: I have found that my copy of Final Fantasy 3 has 4 solder points on each side, but all my Nintendo made games have only 2. YMMV.)

Getting the battery out (by Slo):Changing these batteries in snes cartridges is simple, ive just done one. One thing i should point out tho is the battery terminals ARE NOT soldered to the battery they are spot welded on, you CANNOT unsolder them. Trying to do so is dangerous as the battery could explode. You simply have to prise and break them off, this isnt easy and to save risking damaging the cartridge pcb its easier to unsolder the battery terminals from the board first (take note which way round it goes here) and clamp the old battery in a vice or hold with pliers then try to force off the terminals. Another point I should mention is when fixing the new battery in place electrical insulation tape will lose its grip with age and go manky especially with heat from the console, so i chose to use sticky labels to wrap around the battery.

As long as you unsolder the battery terminals from the board first there is zero chance of damaging your cartridge as long as you dont drop blobs of solder all over it but and i cant stress this enough make sure you take note of the battery polarity.

6. Either solder the New battery back on if you know how or tape it into place. To tape it, take a 2 inch piece of tape and place it under the bottom connector. Place the battery in between the two connectors and wrap the tape around it as tight as possible. You can even double up the tape, to make sure the battery won't go any where.

7. Turn the board back over (battery-side down) replace it into the backcover of the cart. The slots it fits into are arranged so you won't be able tore-insert it upside down, so if you're having trouble putting it back in, turnit over!

8. Place the front cover of the cart over this. Remember the hooks that slideinto the back cover? They make it so you have to angle the back cover down &away from yourself. Replace the 2 hexagon bolts. If the board still rattles,you might need to tighten the bolts down a bit more. If you taped the battery in, it'll probably be a snug fit.

9. Pop the game into your SNES, play long enough to save. Turn the machineoff, take the game out and throw it around. Tap it on a table, drop it, rattle it, be rought with it but don't break it! This is just to test how secure your battery is in there. If you plug it back in and still have your save, congrats. Chances are, your battery is secure for the next 10 years.

here's another FAQ about it, but it's not too clear. I think it basically says the same thing(except he is saying to pry the battery off without heating or scraping, which seems a little crazy)-- but he seems to be against the idea of taping it back.

Okay-- 4 copies of Super Mario World later and I've had my first successful swap.

For a guy who has never soldered before, this was a pain in the ass. That's because the soldering on the old battery doesn't exactly cut like butter. I had to put a ton of pressure on each connection, and snapped a few blades in the process.

For my successful swap, I just taped the contacts around the battery, made it real tight, and added 2 layers of tape, so that it would fit snug in there. After I did that, i tested it, and it worked. Not content with that, I tossed the cart around, on the floor, smacked it against my leg, shook it up, etc. and tested it again-- still good.

I'm going to update the tutorial later, with a more "realistic" approach.

sorry bout the question mark but its 6 in the morning and sleeping is the one thing i forgot to do today.

anyway good to hear on the GBA games though. I would have to commit bloody murder if i lost my Fire Emblem saves.

? for good measure

Flash memory isn't going to last forever either. I lost all my data on Castlevania: Circle of the Moon when I had more the 95% of the game complete. It was a legit copy I bought at Circuity City too. The cart won't save anymore. I really wish GBA games had removable storage like memory cards.

#21
bmulligan
I am not a number
CAGiversary! 6067 Posts Joined 11.7 Years Ago

get your CR2032 batteries in bulk off Ebay. They fit in all kinds of stuff and they're cheaper than buying them 1-2 at a time. I paid $15 for 50 of them.

They work in Dreamcast VMU's
Sega Saturn and Dreamcast CMOS battery
Various kids books and small toys
digital thermometers
along with SNES carts.

Just FYI, they're probably the most popular small battery and it's shameful for people to have to buy these for $3 each.

The Neo-Communist Manifesto: "In your mind freedom is an end in and of itself. In my mind freedom is a means of improving society and giving people a better life. Those ideas result in very different methods of running society. " - alonzomourning23

Could someone post a new link for the 3.88 Security bit I tryed to follow the other links but got an error and tried to go the MCM website but cant seem to find it anywhere. I need this badly to re-battery some of my old SNES carts SMW to start but most notably FF3, Secret of Mana, Super Metroid, and ChronoTrigger. Thanks guys

I don't understand how long these batteries last: My copy of tecmo super bowl or legend of zelda for the nes are still able to save. I've been the only owner and I definitely have not been under the hood messing around.

Could someone post a new link for the 3.88 Security bit I tryed to follow the other links but got an error and tried to go the MCM website but cant seem to find it anywhere. I need this badly to re-battery some of my old SNES carts SMW to start but most notably FF3, Secret of Mana, Super Metroid, and ChronoTrigger. Thanks guys

I couldn't find it on the above site, but there is a seller on ebay that sells them - I bought one from him a while back - he has a bunch of the security bits (3.8, 4.5 & triwing) in his ebay store & bundles of all of them together -

Huh... I changed the battery in Lufia but it still won't retain saves. I played through the intro, saved, reset, and my saves were there. After that, I took the cart out, tossed it around, tried playing again and my saves were gone.

i have the same problem with my PS IV. I have to find a place that has the holder i can solder in there, then all i have to do is slide the battery into it and seal it up and play my heart out. Though nothing will give me back my 15 hours i played before the battery went dead. I just bought the game acouple of months ago. Its crazy the way the batteries just go out sometimes.

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